Modifed game of twenty-one having modified limits and payouts and method of playing

ABSTRACT

A method of playing a playing card wagering game comprising: placing a first wager within a table limit; dealing a first player card to all players; dealing a first dealer card to a dealer; dealing a second player card to all players, wherein insurance bets need to be made immediately after all players have received their second player card and before any “hits”; dealing a second dealer card, wherein the dealer receive the second dealer card once betting is complete and all players have either busted or stood; and determining a winning hand.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates generally to a playing card game, and morespecifically, to a playing card wagering game that may be played withone or more standard deck of playing cards or by video machinetechnology that reduces the effectiveness of card counting but andbenefits the player by having modified player set beating limits withinthe table limits and payouts.

Twenty-one or blackjack has been a popular card game for many years.Twenty-one is a standard table game in most casinos. The popularity ofthis game is due in large part to the fact that it is easy to play,there is very little strategy that needs to be learned, and the playershave a better chance of beating the house then in other table games atthe casino. The card game twenty-one is described in several U.S.Patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,789 issued to LeVasseur and U.S. Pat. No.5,413,353 issued to Demarest et al., both disclose how to play thestandard method of playing twenty-one.

In most casinos, the player's cards are dealt face down and the playingcards are reshuffled once the blank card used to cut the playing cardhas been reached. This is done to prevent the players from cardcounting. Card counting is a strategy used to determine when a playerhas a probability advantage. In card counting, a player will try andtrack the ratio of high cards to low cards. The principle behindcounting cards in twenty-one is that a deck of cards with a highproportion of high cards (ten-valued cards and aces) to low cards isgood for the player, is good for the dealer. A deck rich in tens andaces improves the player's odds because obtaining twenty-one becomesmore common, the dealer is more likely to bust a stiff hand, anddouble-downs are more successful. Card counting is prohibited fromcasinos since it increases the odds of the player beating the casino.

Another drawback of current twenty-one games is there are limitedpayouts. Payouts are given when the player beats the dealer and theplayer reaches 21/blackjack.

Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a card game and method thatovercomes the above problems.

SUMMARY

A method of playing a playing card wagering game comprising: placing afirst wager within a table limit; dealing a first player card to allplayers; dealing a first dealer card to a dealer; dealing a secondplayer card to all players, wherein insurance bets need to be madeimmediately after all players have received their second player card andbefore any “hits”; dealing a second dealer card, wherein the dealerreceive the second dealer card once betting is complete and all playershave either busted or stood; and determining a winning hand.

A method of playing a playing card wagering game comprising: placing afirst wager within a table limit; dealing a first player card to allplayers; dealing a first dealer card to a dealer; dealing a secondplayer card to all players, wherein insurance bets need to be madeimmediately after all players have received their second player card andbefore any “hits”; wherein a player may one of double down and receiveanother player card, to redouble the wager and receive one more playercard, unless the player had previously at least one of doubled down orredoubled on a hand of 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11 where multiple redoubles arepermitted, the player must stand if the player does not redouble; splittwo player cards of unequal value totaling one of 11 or less, and notincluding an Ace; surrender a 2 card hand by the player and losing halfa wager, unless the dealer is showing an Ace or 10-value card; split apair of aces by the player, wherein splitting the pair of aces get only1 card and cannot be resplit, and can only make 21 not Blackjack;dealing a second dealer card, wherein the dealer receive the seconddealer card once betting is complete and all players have either bustedor stood; and determining a winning hand.

The features, functions, and advantages can be achieved independently invarious embodiments of the disclosure or may be combined in yet otherembodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the disclosure will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a method of playing a modified version of twenty-oneaccording to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the FIGURE, a modified version of the card game twenty-onewill be disclosed. The card game is played with a standard deck ofplaying cards. Any number of decks of playing cards may be used. Theplaying cards will generally be shuffled. For security purposes in agambling establishment, the playing cards may be placed in a card dealershoe.

In the present card game, all the playing cards except the last two cardwill be dealt before the playing cards will be reshuffled. In currentversions of twenty-one, the playing cards are generally cut by a playerwho places a blank card in the stack of playing cards. Once the blankcard is reached, the playing cards are reshuffled at the end of theround. This is done to prevent players from card counting. Since all theplaying cards except the last two will be dealt before the playing cardswill be reshuffled, the modified version of the card game twenty-oneallow skillful players to have a better opportunity to win.

In order to play, each player must place a minimum first wager. Theminimum first wager can be any amount of money within the table limitsestablished by the gambling establishment. After each shuffle the playermust make at least the table minimum bet. Players may not join the gamein the middle of a shoe or increase the number of hands they are playingin the middle of a shoe.

During the round, the player may “double up” his/her bet. The player maydouble his/her losing wager even if it exceeds the table limit. However,when the wager exceeds 4 times the original wager no doubling down,splitting, 2nd chances are allowed. Also, Blackjack earns even moneyonly, and the 6, 7 card rules do not apply. If a player wins, they mustthen return to no more than four times their original bet.

For example, the player has a bet set at $200 and loses. The player maythen bet $400 the next round. If the player loses, the player may thenbet $800. If the player again loses, the player may bet $1600. However,after four times of doubling the minimum bet, if the player wins, hewill only win even money, thus the player would only win $1600.

Once each player has placed a first minimum wager, a dealer will dealone playing card to each player. The dealer also deals one playing cardto himself. The dealer takes his first card up and does not receive a2^(nd) card until betting is complete and all players' hands have eitherbusted or stood. In accordance with one embodiment, the playing cardsare dealt face-up. However, the cards may be dealt face down as well, ora combination of cards face-up and face down. Insurance bets must bemade immediately after all players have received their initial 2 cards,before any “hits”.

In accordance with one embodiment, the players may take insurance nomatter what playing card the dealer is dealt. The player who is takinginsurance is betting that the dealer will obtain a specific hand/total.More specifically, the player is taking insurance that the dealer willhave a total value of playing cards equal to 21.

After receiving the first card, the player may double down and receive asecond card. After doubling down and receiving the card, the player ispermitted to redouble his bet and receive 1 more card, unless he hadpreviously doubled down or redoubled on a hand of 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11.Multiple redoubles are permitted, however the player must stand if hedoes not redouble.

If the player does not double down, play resumes and a second card isdealt to the player. If the player has two cards of unequal valuetotaling 11 or less (not including an Ace), he is allowed to split thesecards just as if they had been of equal value.

The player may continue to “hit” and receive additional cards. If theplayer has “busted” on a hand which was not doubled, he is permitted tomake an additional 1-unit payment to obtain a “2^(nd) chance hit”. Thecard that caused the bust is set aside and ignored and a new card isdrawn to replace it. Play then proceeds as if the player had not busted.If the player then wins the hand, the 2^(nd) chance payment is refunded,so that he finishes with a net gain of 1 unit. If the hand is tied, theplayer's original bet pushes but he loses the 2^(nd) chance payment.

If the player “hits” multiple times and has 6 cards totaling under 17the player has two different options. The player may stay and will win1.5 times the bet and the hand is considered over. However, the playermay continue to “hit” and receive another card. In this case, the playerwill forfeit the 1.5-unit win. If the player “hits” and gets a 7^(th)card and the total value of the cards is under 17, the player wins 3times the bet, otherwise play proceeds normally.

A player who has increased his bet (by doubling, splitting, orredoubling) loses the entire bet to a dealer Blackjack (unless he hascollected the 6-card-under-17 or 7-card under-17 bonus).

At any time during the game a player may place a $5 check adjacent tohis original wager. It should be noted that $5 is given as an exampleand other amounts may be used without departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention. All privileges or embodiments of thegame are allowed to the player on their original bet just as if therewere no side-wager except for two. First, there is no, “2nd-chance,”attempt for the side wager. The original wager is still in action but awin resulting from a, “2nd-chance,” draw does not count towards theside-wager. The side-wager has already lost on the first bust. Thereforea player will have to start the side-wager over on the next hand.Second, if a player decides to split his original wager, even up to fourtimes, as is allowed, he/she must win on all hands in order to remain onthe winning track. Any push in a split hand constitutes a, “One tie, alltie,” on the side-wager and winning original bets are paid accordingly.It follows that any loss on a split hand constitutes a total loss on theside-wager and all winning originals are paid. This side-wager initiatesa player's consecutive wins. Once the first hand is finished, win, lose,or draw, the dealer shall collect the check. A win results in the checkbeing replaced by a non-denominational chip which is labeled accordingto the number of consecutive wins (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc). If a playerattains 16 consecutive wins he/she will win a prize such as a car or thelike. If said player chooses, he/she can risk the prize and go for 21consecutive wins resulting in a grand prize such as a $1 Million payoffand the car as well. Failure to reach the 21 win-streak results in atotal loss. It is at the house's discretion on how the million shall bepaid. Example: $3,000/month to a million which is just around two monthsshy of 28 yrs.

On a final hand, a player may wager an amount equal to his/her totallosses for the day. In accordance with one embodiment, this wager may becalled a “Hail Mary” wager. For this wager, Blackjack earns even money.Doubling down, splitting, and 2nd chances are not allowed. The 6, 7 cardrules do not apply. A player may continue to play if he/she loses thishand although they must start at or below the table limit.

In accordance with one embodiment, the game uses a 6-deck shoe (312cards) and the dealer deals the entire shoe except the last 2 cards. Atthis point the cards not in use in the current hand are reshuffled inorder to continue play.

The present game offers several house rules that differ from a standard21 game. Players may surrender a 2-card hand, losing half their wager,unless the dealer is showing an Ace or 10-value card. In this case, theplayer may elect to take back one-half of the player's first minimumwager amount. The player will then automatically lose the other half ofthe first minimum wager amount. For example, the player places a firstminimum wager of $200 and receives two cards. If the player elects notto play the round, the player may take back $100 and pay the bank $100to not play the rest of the round. However, the player cannot elect notto play if the dealer has an Ace or 10-value card.

Another change to the House rules is that split aces get only 1 card,cannot be re-split, and can only make 21 not blackjack. Further, Playersmay not double down after a split. Players may split up to 4 times.

Blackjack pays 3:2 only on the first 2 cards; if both player and dealerhave Blackjack the hand is pushed.

Dealer hits on soft 17 and below, stands on hard 17 and up. Compared tostandard Blackjack, the changes which favor the player are theadditional options provided above regarding re-double, uneven split,2^(nd) chance on a bust, and 6- and 7-card bonus.

While embodiments of the disclosure have been described in terms ofvarious specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognizethat the embodiments of the disclosure can be practiced withmodifications within the spirit and scope of the claims.

1. A method of playing a playing card wagering game comprising: placinga first wager within a table limit; dealing a first player card to allplayers; dealing a first dealer card to a dealer; dealing a secondplayer card to all players, wherein insurance bets need to be madeimmediately after all players have received their second player card andbefore any “hits”; dealing a second dealer card, wherein the dealerreceive the second dealer card once betting is complete and all playershave either busted or stood; and determining a winning hand.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising permitting a player after doublingdown and receiving a card, to redouble the wager and receive one moreplayer card, unless the player had previously at least one of doubleddown or redoubled on a hand of 7, 8, 9, 10, or
 11. 3. The method ofclaim 2 where multiple redoubles are permitted, the player must stand ifthe player does not redouble.
 4. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising allowing a player to split two player cards of unequal valuetotaling one of 11 or less.
 5. The method of claim 1 further comprisingallowing a player to split two player cards of unequal value totalingone of 11 or less, and not including an Ace.
 6. The method of claim 1wherein a player may make an additional 1-unit wager to obtain a “2^(nd)chance hit” if the player has “busted” on a hand which that was notdoubled, the player card that caused the bust is set aside and a newplayer card is drawn.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein play proceeds asif the player had not busted, the additional 1-unit wager to obtain a“2^(nd) chance hit” is refunded if the player wins.
 8. The method ofclaim 1 wherein if a player gets 6 player cards totaling under 17 theplayer wins a multiple of the wager.
 9. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising continuing play and receiving a 7^(th) player card, theplayer wins if the player has 7 player cards totaling under
 17. 10. Themethod of claim 1 wherein all the playing cards except a last twoplaying cards are to be dealt prior to reshuffling the playing cards.11. The method of claim 1, wherein increasing a wager by one ofdoubling, splitting, or redoubling, the player loses the entire wager toa dealer Blackjack unless the player has one of a 6 player card handunder 17 or a 7 player card hand under
 17. 12. The method of claim 1,further comprising surrendering a 2 card hand by the player and losinghalf a wager, unless the dealer is showing an Ace or 10-value card. 13.The method of claim 1, further comprising splitting a pair of aces by aplayer, wherein splitting the pair of aces get only 1 card and cannot beresplit, and can only make 21 not Blackjack.
 14. The method of claim 1,further comprising doubling the initial wager of a next hand when aplayer loses a current hand even if the doubling exceeds table limits,when the doubling exceeds 4 times the initial wager no doubling down,splitting, 2nd chances allowed, Blackjack wins even money only.
 15. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising wagering an amount equal to totallosses for the day, wherein Blackjack earns even money.
 16. A method ofplaying a playing card wagering game comprising: placing a first wagerwithin a table limit; dealing a first player card to all players;dealing a first dealer card to a dealer; dealing a second player card toall players, wherein insurance bets need to be made immediately afterall players have received their second player card and before any“hits”; wherein a player may one of double down and receive anotherplayer card, to redouble the wager and receive one more player card,unless the player had previously at least one of doubled down orredoubled on a hand of 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11 where multiple redoubles arepermitted, the player must stand if the player does not redouble; splittwo player cards of unequal value totaling one of 11 or less, and notincluding an Ace; surrender a 2 card hand by the player and losing halfa wager, unless the dealer is showing an Ace or 10-value card; split apair of aces by the player, wherein splitting the pair of aces get only1 card and cannot be resplit, and can only make 21 not Blackjack;dealing a second dealer card, wherein the dealer receive the seconddealer card once betting is complete and all players have either bustedor stood; and determining a winning hand.
 17. The method of claim 16wherein a player may make an additional 1-unit wager to obtain a “2^(nd)chance hit” if the player has “busted” on a hand which that was notdoubled, the player card that caused the bust is set aside and a newplayer card is drawn, wherein play proceeds as if the player had notbusted, the additional 1-unit wager to obtain a “2^(nd) chance hit” isrefunded if the player wins.
 18. The method of claim 16 wherein if aplayer gets 6 player cards totaling under 17 the player wins a multipleof the wager.
 19. The method of claim 16, further comprising continuingplay and receiving a 7^(th) player card, the player wins if the playerhas 7 player cards totaling under
 17. 20. The method of claim 16,wherein increasing a wager by one of doubling, splitting, or redoubling,the player loses the entire wager to a dealer Blackjack unless theplayer has one of a 6 player card hand under 17 or a 7 player card handunder
 17. 21. The method of claim 16, further comprising doubling theinitial wager of a next hand when a player loses a current hand even ifthe doubling exceeds table limits, when the doubling exceeds 4 times theinitial wager no doubling down, splitting, 2nd chances allowed,Blackjack wins even money only.
 22. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising wagering an amount equal to total losses for the day, whereinBlackjack earns even money.